Unique style, unusual value.

Introduction

Kia Sportage is a sporty crossover utility vehicle, conveniently sized and well-executed in almost every way. The Sportage coaxes both ample performance and decent fuel economy from a choice of two moderately sized engines. Unlike some competitors in this class, which tend to look alike, the Kia Sportage glories in its distinctive appearance, helped by a high beltline, pronounced rear pillars and prominent wheel flares. 

For 2014, Kia has enhanced its standard 2.4-liter engine, adding direct injection and boosting horsepower from 176 to 182 horsepower. Wheels and the grille have been redesigned, and high-intensity-discharge headlights have been added to the options. LED rear taillights are installed, and EX models get new fog lamps. Newly available features for 2014 also include Infinity premium audio, rear ventilation, a ventilated passenger seat, and UVO eServices that work with a free smartphone app. All 2014 Sportage models have a tilt/telescopic steering wheel. A new navigation system is available, compatible with UVO eServices. On the dashboard is a new 4.2-inch LCD screen. 

All 2014 Sportage models have high-performance dampers. Kia has dropped the previous base model and the manual transmission; all 2014 Sportage models have a 6-speed automatic transmission. 

Three trim levels and two engines are offered. The 2014 Kia Sportage LX and EX with the standard 182-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine earn an EPA City/Highway rating of 19/26 mpg with all-wheel drive (AWD). Front-wheel-drive 2014 Sportage models achieve an even better 21/28 mpg rating. Aiding fuel efficiency is a relatively lean curb weight, though Sportage isn't quite as light as it used to be. 

The Sportage SX, with its turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, benefits from 260 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque. The 2014 Sportage SX gets a respectable 20/26 mpg City/Highway rating from the EPA with front-wheel drive, and 19/24 mpg with AWD. 

We've found that the standard 2.4-liter engine delivers its power smoothly and mostly in a linear manner, with only an occasional, slight surge after an upshift in the automatic as the electronics adjust to the changing load. Those gear changes are clean, if not remarkably sharp, with ready downshifts for overtaking or merging. 

The steering feels heavier in the AWD version but is reasonably responsive in both, with good directional stability. All-wheel drive comes with a limited locking feature for low-speed use in adverse conditions. 

Power folding mirrors and sunvisor extenders come on all 2014 Sportage models. LED accent lights are mounted on Sportage LX and Sportage EX models; the 2014 Sportage SX has LED daytime running lights. 

Sportage styling looks fresh and sharp from every angle. Character lines are crisp but subdued, contrasting nicely with the overall rounded look. Blackened lower trim panels imply good ground clearance, while keeping the tires visually in proper proportion to the body. 

We found the interior accommodations comfortable, though the Sportage lacks the interior roominess of its competitors: mainly, the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, and Subaru Forester. The front seats offer good support. Leather-trimmed seats and front-seat ventilation are available. 

An AM/FM/CD six-speaker stereo with SiriusXM radio and USB/auxiliary input jacks comes standard, with Infinity premium audio included on EX and SX models. An optional navigation system with a touch screen includes Sirius Traffic. A rearview camera is available, which is an excellent safety feature. Sportage EX and SX get dual-zone, automatic climate control. 

Cargo capacity is a generous 26.1 cubic feet behind the second seat, but a less-impressive 54.6 cubic feet with the second seat folded. Translation: It's handier for hauling people than large amounts of cargo. 

Lineup

The 2014 Kia Sportage comes in three trim levels: Sportage LX, Sportage EX, and Sportage SX. Sportage LX and EX models come with the 2.4-liter engine, while the 2.0-liter turbo is exclusive to the SX. All three trim levels can be ordered with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive (AWD). 

Sportage LX ($21,600) and Sportage LX AWD ($23,100) come standard with a 6-speed Sportmatic automatic transmission, cloth upholstery, air conditioning, cruise control, tilt/telescopic steering wheel, Bluetooth capability, power windows, power locks, power mirrors, AM/FM/CD/SiriusXM satellite radio with USB and auxiliary ports, 60/40 flat-folding rear seat, and 225/60R17 tires on 17-inch alloy wheels. A Popular Package ($1,600) for the LX bundles UVO/Microsoft voice-activated infotainment with a backup warning system, rearview camera, roof rails, rear spoiler, trip computer, outside mirrors with LED turn-signal indicators, sunvisor mirror illumination, and a second-row armrest with cupholders. 

Sportage EX ($25,000) and Sportage EX AWD ($26,500) upgrade with dual-zone automatic climate control, stain-resistant seat fabric, heated front seats, a trip computer, keyless entry, heated mirrors, premium UVO, premium Infinity audio, fog lamps, rear spoiler, roof rails, mirrors with integrated LED turn signals, cooling glove box, and P235/55R18 tires on alloy wheels. The EX Premium Package ($3,900) includes leather seat trim, ventilated front seats, pushbutton start, panoramic sunroof, power-folding heated mirrors, and Navigation with SiriusXM Traffic. 

Sportage SX ($26,900) and Sportage SX AWD ($28,400) feature the more powerful turbocharged engine and high-intensity-discharge headlights. Special appearance features include a black mesh grille outlined in dark chrome, LED daytime running lights, and dual exhausts. The SX Premium package ($2,900) adds heated seats, leather seat trim, pushbutton start, power-folding mirrors, and Navigation. A panoramic sunroof ($1,500) can be added to the SX with Premium Package. 

Standalone options for all models include remote start ($425), side steps ($495), tow hitch ($400), mudguards ($95), wheel locks ($55), cargo mat ($75), carpeted mats ($115), cargo net ($50), cargo cover ($140), and cross bars ($225). 

Safety features include full-length side curtains with rollover sensor, ABS, Electronic Stability Control with traction control, Brake Assist, Electronic Brake-force Distribution, and a tire pressure monitoring system. Also standard are Downhill Brake Control, which when engaged automatically regulates downhill speed to no more than 5 mph, and Hill-start Assist Control, which keeps the Sportage from rolling backward when starting on a hill. The optional rearview camera can help the driver notice small children behind the vehicle when backing up. 

Walkaround

Kia Sportage styling is unconstrained by cliche or convention. From nose to tail, from footprint to luggage rack, Sportage shares almost nothing outside of its overall proportions with more conventionally styled crossovers and mini-SUVs. 

The upper grille is a bigger, bolder rendering of the Kia-signature tiger nose. Underlined by a free-flowing, vaguely bow-tie-shaped black insert in the bumper fascia, the overall effect is an I'm-about-to-eat-you grin. Compact headlight housings with slightly protruding clear lenses curve around the front fenders, adding their own contribution to that menacing smile. 

Fog lights on the Sportage EX and SX nestle comfortably at the outboard ends of the bow tie, assuming their vertical-oblong shape from the surrounding trim. The SX sports its own, subtly different grille, which replaces the delicate horizontal-over-vertical mesh of lesser models with a more rugged chain-link texture; and the bright-chrome surround with chrome of a darker tone. 

The concave hood flows smoothly back into the decently raked windshield. Viewed head on, it's a more planted look than you'd expect from a crossover, a direct consequence of a wide, 63.5-inch track (distance between the tires side to side), and a roofline that peaks just 64.4 inches from the road. 

Highlighting the side aspect is a beltline (generally, the bottom edge of the side windows) that arcs dramatically from the trailing corner of the headlights to the leading edge of the taillights, giving the Sportage a wedgy but still soft profile. The high beltline reduces the real estate available for side windows, making for almost a chopped look, like street rods of the mid-20th century. A creased depression in the lower portion of the door panels breaks up the expanse of sheet metal, thereby lowering the impression of mass. The flat black trim from the front lower fascia continues around the sides, outlining the wheelwells, which the tires fill quite nicely, and underscoring the rocker panels. 

Most of the styling lines on the backside pinch inward toward the trademark oval parked in the middle of the liftgate. The backlight is about the same proportion to the bodywork as the side windows; that is, smallish. Taillights narrow as they look toward the centerline. Turn indicators are slotted into the rear bumper, an interesting location that at first blush appears to favor a closely following driver at the expense of one two or three cars back. A creased lip marks the bottom edge of the liftgate, above a license plate space that occupies the middle of the rear bumper where a continuation of the flat black trim panel completes its circumnavigation of the Sportage's lower body. Dual exhausts with bold oval openings distinguish the SX. 

Interior

The Kia Sportage interior displays as much bold imagination as the exterior, while remaining ergonomically friendly and eye-pleasing. Nothing too fancy or gimmicky, just well crafted and eminently usable. 

Essential instrumentation is easy-to-read analog, with a large, circular dial for the speedometer bracketed by a half-circle tachometer and inversely stacked temperature and fuel level gauges. A small, rectangular LED display inset into the speedometer face shows gear selection and trip data. The center stack is properly organized, placing the audio/navigation interface at the top, the climate control panel midlevel and power points and USB/auxiliary inputs tucked into the lower section, which also contains a smallish storage bin. Controls for the available seat heaters fit in side notches forward of the shift gate. Climate and audio/touch-screen navigation controls are logically arrayed, finger-friendly knobs, coupled with virtual and real buttons. 

A satin-finish, smoothly sculpted panel that hosts the instruments and the audio/nav panel seems to pop out of the pod-like dash, itself topped in industry-standard, glare-suppressing, grainy-textured (but not cheap looking) plastic material. The shift lever perches on the forward end of the center console, within which sit two cup holders (which need inserts for anything smaller than a Big Gulp) between curiously placed grab handles. The storage bin beneath the center armrest holds the charger for the transmitter for the available keyless start/stop system. It's a less-than-ideal, and likely more easily forgotten, location compared with other systems' placement in the lower dash on either side of the steering column. 

Visibility to the front is good, aided by a high seating position and the sloping hood. To the side and the rear, the smallish side and rear windows and an expansive C-pillar (the rearmost support between the body and the roof) make working heavy traffic a chore. On the bright side, the two-pane panoramic sunroof optional on the EX and SX can give rear-seat passengers some satisfying views of the sky or urban landscape overhead. 

Front seats are comfortable, with sufficient thigh support and adequate bolstering. The front-seat passenger is shortchanged when it comes to seat adjustability, relegated to a four-way manual setup. The perforations in the optional leather in the Sportage we tested kept the seats from being clammy or overly slick. 

Measured against the expected competition, led by the Honda CR-V, the Subaru Forester and the Toyota RAV4, people-room in the Sportage is disappointing. In most interior dimensions the Kia is the smallest of the group, albeit in most cases by only an inch, give or take. The Forester, however, tops the Sportage in front-seat headroom by more than two inches, and in rear-seat headroom by almost the same amount. And the CR-V, which leads the group in rear-seat hiproom, betters the Sportage by a full four inches. The Sportage's cargo space also trails all of the competition, surrendering a significant 12 cubic feet with the rear seat up and 19 cubic feet with the rear seat down to the class-leading Toyota. 

Driving Impression

We found the Kia Sportage enjoyable to drive. All-wheel-drive models are more pleasing than the front-wheel-drive Sportage, but neither is boring or outside of its element in the overwhelming majority of circumstances and situations. 

Kia has done a commendable job of milking maximum power out of the 2.4-liter four-banger, while delivering decent fuel economy. Measured again against the Subaru Forester, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, even before adoption of direct injection, the Kia Sportage 2.4-liter delivered horsepower and torque numbers that were just about dead-on average for the group. Now, with the 2014 increase of 6 horsepower, it reaches a tad higher yet. 

Only a few years ago, this class offered a few V6 options, but those have disappeared with rising gas prices and tighter fuel economy regulations. Now the only optional engines in this group are the turbo-fours offered by Subaru and Kia. The Kia 2.0-liter turbo is by far the stronger of the two, with 260 hp for the Sportage vs. 224 hp for the Forester, and 269 pound-feet of torque for the Kia vs. 226 for the Subaru. 

Kia's 6-speed automatic handles gear changes reasonably smoothly, including downshifts when necessary for passing and merging, whether in regular auto or Sportmatic mode. The brakes in the Sportage did their job with confidence and no noticeable fade, after several miles of reasonably rapid motoring on twisting two-lane roads winding through the Santa Cruz Mountains south of San Francisco. 

Response to steering inputs was decent on our Sportage EX wearing the low profile tires and 18-inch wheels, with understeer more easily induced with front-wheel drive than with all-wheel drive. The same held for steering effort, with the AWD feeding back a heavier, more solid feel. Given the relatively high center of gravity, body roll (lean) in tight corners was modest. Directional stability, the tendency for the car to hold its line on straight stretches and through corners, raised no concerns, requiring corrections only in response to pavement irregularities. Suspension damping was decent over bumpy pavement, the worst of which produced something more like head nodding than head bobbing. 

For mud or snow, the AWD system offers a Lock Mode that sends equal amounts of torque to each wheel, at up to a maximum of 25 mph. 

The test models we drove were early production models, i.e., not quite ready for prime time, so the minor squeaks and rattles emanating from somewhere in the neighborhood of the dash are likely not indicative of Sportages in dealers showrooms. The tire noise from the stock Hankook tires, though, could be. That would be unfortunate, as otherwise, the ride and road holding were quite respectable. 

Comparing overall handling, the Subaru Forester feels about the same in terms of road-holding and overall stability (very good, in other words), with its lower center of gravity making up for a track (distance between the wheels side to side) that's more than three inches narrower. The CR-V and RAV4 don't fare as well, tipping the scales on average 100-200 pounds heavier than the Sportage (depending on equipment), and riding on a track that's narrower than the Sportage's by about two inches. The net effect is to allow more body roll in turns and to generate head gyrations that are closer to bobbing than to nodding over rough pavement. Basic ride quality is comparable for the cars in this class. 

Summary

The Kia Sportage is a compact sport-utility that's refined, comfortable, well-developed and sharp-looking. The standard engine delivers respectable power and more than respectable fuel economy, at a competitive price. 

NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Tom Lankard filed this report from San Francisco; John F. Katz contributed to this report. 

Model Lineup

Kia Sportage LX $21,600), LX AWD ($23,100); EX ($25,000), EX AWD ($26,500); SX ($26,900), SX AWD ($28,400). 

Assembled In

Hwaseong, South Korea. 

Options As Tested

Navigation Package ($1,200) includes navigation system, rearview camera, SiriusXM Traffic; Premium Package with leather ($3,100) includes leather seat trim, heated front seats, air-cooled driver seat, push-button Start, Panoramic sunroof, power folding heated mirrors, Supervision gage cluster cargo cover, auto-dimming rearview mirror with HomeLink and Compass; Towing package ($400).